1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of semiconductors. More particularly, the invention relates to semiconductor packaging.
2. Background Art
A semiconductor package, such as a ball grid array (BGA) semiconductor package, can include a semiconductor die, an interposer structure, and a support substrate. The interposer structure typically includes a semiconductor substrate with through-wafer vias for electrically connecting the semiconductor die to the support substrate, such as a BGA support substrate. The interposer structure enables conductive pads having a narrow pitch on the semiconductor die to be electrically connected to conductive pads having a wide pitch on the support substrate. The semiconductor die can include an electronic circuit that requires a passive component, such as an inductor or antenna. Thus, it is desirable to provide an inductor or an antenna for a semiconductor die in a semiconductor package.
In a conventional on-chip solution, a passive component, such as an inductor or antenna, can be formed in the top metal layer of a semiconductor die in a semiconductor package. However, an on-chip passive component, such as an on-chip inductor or antenna, can consume an undesirably large amount of area on the semiconductor die. Additionally, forming an on-chip passive component can require additional processing steps, which can undesirably increase manufacturing cost.
In an alternative conventional solution, a passive component, such as an inductor or antenna, can be included in the semiconductor package as a discrete component, which can be, for example, mounted on the support substrate of the semiconductor package and electrically connected to the semiconductor die. However, the cost of a discrete passive component, such as a discrete inductor or antenna, can undesirably increase the cost of the semiconductor package.